


"Do You Miss Him?"

by Reibunriinta



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 10:34:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17620829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reibunriinta/pseuds/Reibunriinta
Summary: “Do you miss him?”Ja’far was silent for a few moments as he thought about his former king. Did he miss Sinbad? Did he really? Sometimes he missed him so badly it was all he could think about, other times he was so free without him he wanted to forget the whole thing, and then other times he was so angry he hardly knew which outlet to take.





	"Do You Miss Him?"

“Do you miss him?” 

The question caught Ja’far off guard as he glanced up at the former Magi. Aladdin had come to visit often since the dust had settled, he wanted to make up for lost time so it seemed. Ja’far, who was taking an undetermined amount of time away from all his former responsibilities by order of king Drakon, meant to improve his mental health, often spent the most time around the teen. He’d missed Aladdin considerably the years they were seperated, so being with him now was more comforting than he dared to express. 

In their time together they discussed a great many things, so this question wasn’t a surprise. Nor was there any doubt about who Aladdin was asking about. 

Ja’far was silent for a few moments as he thought about his former king. Did he miss Sinbad? Did he really? Sometimes he missed him so badly it was all he could think about, other times he was so free without him he wanted to forget the whole thing, and then other times he was so angry he hardly knew which outlet to take. 

“Sometimes…” he finally answered, vaguely. “I think it comes and goes...my heart can never quite decide how to feel about him…”

“And your mind?” Aladdin asked, carefully. 

One thing that Ja’far was grateful hadn’t been outgrown was Aladdin’s endless curiosity. He always had another question, always wanted to understand things better. Ja’far had always been curious about things himself, if he knew the way the world and its people worked then maybe he could try to fix some of it, he’d thought. Recently he’d come to doubt how much he actually achieved but being in Sindria had helped him to realize just how much support he still had. 

That’s one thing he’d come to resent, the way he’d convinced himself the only thing he’d done of value was for Sinbad. That just wasn’t true, he knew that now that he was once again surrounded by his friends and family. In Parthevia though, the country where so little good had come to him, he’d been so isolated from everyone he’d nearly forgotten his own worth. His family, his past in Sindria and the first trading company, even his sense of self and purpose had all become blurred between the endless work and the isolation that came with it. 

They’d all still been there, waiting for him to return, but it had felt as though they were hidden from him just out of reach. 

Sinbad had insisted the company was all that mattered now, that they were doing good things. Still, the colder and more distant Sinbad became, the more Ja’far came to fixate on that. Sinbad was the one there with him, Sinbad was the one who no longer cared for him. Sure, he valued his work, he didn’t wish him to be unhappy, but he’d become dismissive and manipulative. In the last days of Sinbad’s life, Ja’far had been reduced to nothing but a pawn to him, hadn’t he?  
The pain came whenever Ja’far realized and continued to realize he could never truly know what Sinbad was thinking then, just why he did what he did. That didn’t matter anymore though, not after he’d tried to destroy absolutely everything. 

Closing his eyes he tried to force away the anger that came with knowing what had almost happened. The memories of his time as Sinbad’s drone, the thought of him wanting to die, wanting his siblings and friends and nieces and nephews to all die, they all filled him with so much pain and anger he could cry. 

Instead, he drew in a breath and opened his eyes, answering Aladdin’s question. “My mind wants to hate him, it’s good at listing every reason I ought to but...well, these things are complicated.”

Aladdin nodded sagely, staring at the wall and rocking a little bit as he thought about this. “I wanted to be angry at him too...I’m angry about a lot of things. I never wanted to have to fight him, I never wanted to be separated from you and Yamu and the others...This place was my home too, right? At least...to me, once you took us in back then you all became my family. Sinbad betrayed that...he hurt everyone and yet...whenever I try to think of him all I can see is the nice old king that looked after me…” 

Ja’far smiled weakly and rested a hand on his shoulder. “It’s sad, isn’t it? I…” he averted his gaze a moment. “I should have done more to protect you, to protect everyone and to stop the madness. You are my family, Aladdin, and you didn’t deserve any of that. None of us really deserved that, I don’t think, but especially not you. You might’ve been a magi but you were just a kid...I’m sorry I didn’t protect you like I promised.”

Aladdin shook his head a little. “I don’t blame you for it. You did what you could...I don’t...well, I doubt any of us could have stopped him before it happened.” 

“You’re probably right…” He sighed. “Still, I can think of a good many things I ought to have done differently but… of course it’s easier to think of these things now rather than in the moment.” 

Silence fell over them for a few minutes before Aladdin spoke up again, his voice awfully quiet, maybe even a little fearful. “Do you really think he’ll come back?”

Ja’far shook his head then. “Not really...At first I kind of did but...Sinbad never goes backwards only forward.” 

“Where do you think he is right now?” 

Ja’far pressed his lips together, trying to choose his words carefully. “I hope he’s somewhere nice…”

“Oh yeah?” Aladdin seemed a bit surprised by the statement.  
Ja’far didn’t move, feeling rather tense as he continued. “Yeah...I hope he’s somewhere real nice where he can figure out just what went wrong with him...and then it’ll be his turn to feel every ounce of pain he’s inflicted on this world...all the families he tried to separate, all the lives he tried to erase. I hope he finds what he needs in the humility he never gained in life...and I hope he stays the hell away from us until he’s done.” 

His words were heavier than usual, ebbed with bitterness and the part of his heart that still struggled to heal. He wanted good things for Sinbad but first he wanted him to realize just what he’d done to all of them. Ja’far knew he wasn’t a saint either, that he had done many horrible things, but he’d accept suffering for his days as an assassin any day if it gained him the forgiveness he wanted. He didn’t think the afterlife, if there really was one in the sense they thought it was, worked like that but it was a nice thought for the time being. 

“I see...and if he does come back, what will you do?” 

Ja’far tried to lighten his tone a little with limited results. “Well, if he expects to gain mine or any of the others’ trust again he’s going to need one hell of an apology...and something to prove he’s anything more than a pathetic liar.” Sighing then, he shook his head. “Sorry, Aladdin...I’m saying such harsh things...how about you, how would you feel if he came back, hm?”

Aladdin gave an easy smile, though to Ja’far it seemed a little strained, and just shrugged. “I guess it depends...I think I’d be scared, ya’know? I love him a lot when I was a kid but...he ended up hurting so many people and...and well he hurt me...I think it’s about time I stop letting in the people who want to hurt me.” 

“Absolutely.” Ja’far nodded his agreement. “Rest assured Aladdin, I and all of us who love you will never allow you to be hurt like that again.”

The young Magi nodded. “Yeah...everyone is working together these days...but it’s more than just that now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt me, if they try I’ll stop them...that’s just how it is. I’m officially done with it.”

Ja’far chuckled a bit, rustling Aladdin’s hair a little. “I don’t doubt it. You’ve become stronger...I’m proud of you, kid.” 

Aladdin scrunched up his nose but laughed then. “I’m technically older than you!”

“Yes, but you are shorter,” Ja’far noted teasingly, hoping to drop the heavy conversation. 

“I’m not done growing!” Aladdin protested. “When I’m done growing, I’ll be much taller than you!”

“Aah! But if you’re still growing, you’re a kid!”

Aladdin pouted then, defeated. “Alright, you win. I’m a kid still, so I gotta enjoy it while it lasts.”

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic of mine I forgot to post. I know this ended kind of abruptly, sorry, I just wasn't sure how to try and extend it out. I honestly feel like in order for Ja'far to really processing everything and heal that he has to let himself get angry so that's sort of where this stemmed from, though at the time I think I wrote it because I was disappointed in how Ja'far's development was tossed out in the end so he could stay in Sinbad's shadow even after his death, but I'm not entirely sure. But anyway I hope you liked it thanks for reading!


End file.
